Baltimore PRIDE Weekend: Show Some!

PRIDE (noun; \ˈprīd\): a reasonable and justifiable self-respect. 

During the weekend of June 17th through 19th, show some PRIDE and support Baltimore Pride Weekend! The Baltimore Pride Celebration is a program of the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore (GLCCB), a community-based nonprofit organization founded in 1977 whose mission is to provide support, education, outreach and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) individuals and their allies, through programs, services and resources.

Moveable Feast staff, volunteers, and supporters will be participating in three Pride events. Click here to learn more about the individual events, and contact Elana Kanter if you'd like to participate! 

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To kick-off Pride Weekend, join us tomorrow, Thursday June 16th, for Casino Night at Grand Central Nightclub (1001/3 N. Charles Street).

The night really gets started at 9PM with the opening of casino tables and disco dancing, lasting through the night until 1AM. All proceeds from the Casino will benefit Moveable Feast!

See you at the tables! 

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Dining Out For Life 2011

Dining out at a restaurant has become commonplace in our daily lives. 

When we can't figure out what to concoct for dinner, or we don't have time to cook, we simply hop in our cars and drive to the nearest carry-out joint. Easy peasy.

And even when it's a planned excursion, indulging is typical. Spent a few extra bucks on a dessert mousse at that new cafe? Ordered the 16-oz. instead of the 12-oz. steak? Not a big deal - we might go home with a few less dollars in our wallets, but that delightful feeling of fullness? Priceless.

For some, however, that "full" feeling does not come so easily. Moveable Feast is, at its core, a hunger organization that feeds people living with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, blood cancer, and other life-threatening conditions. Proper, regular nutrition is crucial to their ability to fight disease. 

Our clients are so poor that their next meal is not as simple as "What do I want to cook for dinner tonight?" or "Where can I buy something quick to eat?" Rather, our clients face dilemmas such as: "Where will I find the money to even buy groceries?" or "How will I cook when I'm too weak to get out of bed?" or simply "I have no friends or family. Who will feed and take care of me while I am so terribly sick?"

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How can you help? Dining Out For Life (DOFL) is an annual fundraiser to benefit Moveable Feast. Now in its 18th year in the Baltimore Metro area, it is your opportunity to dine out and help those who, without the services of Moveable Feast, would not have the opportunity to feed themselves properly, much less dine out at a restaurant. 

How does Dining Out For Life work? Simply dine out at a participating restaurant on September 22nd, 2011. The restaurant will donate 20-50% of your bill to Moveable Feast, in support of our lifesaving nutritious meal delivery programs. And that's it! No extra money spent on your part - simply dine out to save lives.

How can I get even more involved? We are searching for enthusiastic Ambassadors to support DOFL. Ambassadors are stationed at their favorite restaurant (given participatory status and availability) to promote Moveable Feast and DOFL - passing out informational materials, speaking with patrons about our mission, etc. Ambassadors are also expected to help populate the restaurant by encouraging friends and family to dine out. Contact Amanda Fisher (afisher@mfeast.org ; 410-327-3420 x11) if you are interested!

Do you yourself own a restaurant in Baltimore or the surrounding areas? If you'd like to get your restaurant involved in Dining Out For Life, please click here for more information and to register. 

What participating restaurants are saying: 

• "Great event for a great cause! It increases business so it's win-win for everyone!" - Clementine 
• "The feeling of goodwill can't be beat. By going full force at 50%, the restaurant at Moveable Feast both win. Most people want to go to the places giving the most." - Woodberry Kitchen

So on September 22nd, join us in Dining Out For Life. Help us to provide that cozy feeling of fullness to our clients that we are so lucky to enjoy!

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Folks, don't forget about this great Broadway opportunity!

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert tracks the journey of three friends as they trek across the Australian Outback in a battered old tour bus named "Priscilla." Finding adventure, hardship, love, and friendship along the way - Priscilla is a fabulous story you don't want to miss!

For a limited time, you can purchase a package deal to see Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on Broadway in New York City on Saturday, November 5th, 2011. The deal costs a grand total of just $225 and covers:

• Roundtrip Motor Coach bus transportation (departs from Carver Center, 938 York Rd, Towson)
• Continental breakfast
• Mezzanine seats for the musical
• A few other surprises! 

Check out a sneak peek from the musical below, and be sure to visit the Priscilla YouTube page to see more!  

BY THE WAY...Did we mention that Priscilla has been nominated for Best Musical in the Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, & Drama Desk Award Nominations? YES!

To purchase tickets, please contact John O'Brien at 410-935-0143 or jeobrienjr@gmail.com.

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Heart & Sole Stroll - This Sunday!

For years, Moveable Feast has partnered with the Red Devils to feed Marylanders living with breast cancer.

This Sunday, June 12th, 2011, come out and support the Red Devils in their annual walk-a-thon, the Heart and Sole Stroll, held at Goucher College in Towson. 

"Every dollar you raise helps fund essential support services for breast cancer patients and their families. $35 will help pay for one ride for treatment...$85 will cover one house cleaning...$125 will help pay a patient’s prescription drug co- payment...$300 will buy meals and groceries for a family."

Registration is just $35 and includes a commemorative T-Shirt. Click here to visit the registration page, and hope to see you at the Stroll on Sunday!

The Red Devils was founded to honor the courage, grace and humor of two young women, Jessica Cowling and Ginny Schardt, who refused to be defined by breast cancer. Jessica died in July 2002 and Ginny in August 2002 at the ages of 31 and 44. Jessica and Ginny’s struggle made them aware of the important role support services provide to individuals undergoing treatment for the disease. Today, The Red Devils works in partnership with 37 hospitals and medical facilities throughout Maryland and with more than four dozen service providers. We are committed to lessening the burdens of the disease by improving the quality of life for patients and their families. Support is available to anyone with breast cancer living in or being treated in Maryland.

Thirty Years of AIDS

The AIDS epidemic turns thirty today, June 5th, 2011.

Thirty years ago, in 1981, the CDC published a report documenting the cases of five young Los Angeles men. All five men suffered from Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP pneumonia, today regarded as a sickness associated with HIV/AIDS), and two had died already.

The report contained a crucial note: all five men appeared to suffer from a "cellular-immune dysfunction related to a common exposure" and a "disease acquired through sexual contact." 

The CDC had seen a recent spike in medication prescriptions for PCP pneumonia, and began an investigation. Within a year and a half, the existence of the disease - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) - had been established. 

The fear associated with AIDS was widespread. In those days, there were no treatments, support services, or even general knowledge about the disease. HIV-positive status and AIDS was essentially a death sentence. And HIV-positive patients were often ostracized from their peers.

In 1989, just eight years into the epidemic, a few friends gathered in a Baltimore church basement to cook and package healthy meals-to-go. The purpose? Provide lifesaving nutrition to people dying from AIDS, who often suffered in rejection and isolation. Working on an initial grant of just $8,000, Moveable Feast was born, subsisting on a mere three employees and serving just ten clients two days per week.

A Moveable Feast staff member working in the kitchen at Waverly Presbyterian, one of our previous locations.

Today, for those who can afford it, HIV/AIDS has become an almost manageable condition, given advanced ART treatments and other drugs. Yet too many HIV-positive people still struggle with the prohibitively expensive treatments, and the disease affects their life in every way imaginable - physically, financially, socially, and emotionally. And there is still no definitive cure. Over the past decade, HIV/AIDS has come to be construed as a "foreign" or "African" disease - certainly not something that hits so close to home.

Yet, consider the following: 

Maryland ranks #21 for population size, but #4 among US states for new HIV infections per capita. In past years, we've even ranked at #1. In recent years, our very own "Old Line State" has consistently come in at the top five across the nation for new HIV infections.

There are 29,021 Marylanders living with HIV today. Of those, 59% live in the Baltimore Towson Metro area alone. Among US cities, Baltimore ranks at #4 for HIV incidence. 

Moveable Feast was founded upon a commitment to our neighbors living with HIV/AIDS. In 2010, we reaffirmed our dedication to the Baltimore HIV community by forming the Partnership for Life. The Partnership for Life, a coalition with Chase Brexton Health Services and AIDS Interfaith Residential Services (AIRS), is a joint venture aimed at:

• Increasing HIV/AIDS awareness and community outreach in the Baltimore Towson Metro area 
• Providing housing, food, and health care for people who live with HIV. 

Each year, the Partnership for Life holds the B'More Aware of HIV: The Living Red Ribbon event, geared towards bringing greater awareness to the Baltimore area and engaging community support for local programs. From Baltimore City and beyond, people gather to form a huge living HIV red ribbon. Last year, nearly 600 people participated in the living red ribbon, breaking a new Baltimore record!

The Living Red Ribbon, formed at Rash Field at the Inner Harbor in autumn 2010.

Moveable Feast is working to help those in Maryland suffering from HIV/AIDS. 2011 marks the 30th birthday of the AIDS epidemic in America. To "celebrate," consider educating yourself about HIV/AIDS and other STDs, getting tested, visiting the special display at the National American History museum, or showing your support for Moveable Feast by donating or volunteering. Remember, 2011 also marks the 22nd anniversary of Moveable Feast services to clients.

CLAIM Walk-A-Thon: June 18th!

C.L.A.I.M. - the Coalition of Lutherans Advancing in Mission - will be holding its first-ever Lutheran Heritage Day & Hunger Walk-A-Thon on Saturday, June 18th, 2011 from 10AM to 2PM at Lake Montebello Park.

We're happy to announce that Moveable Feast will be a proud beneficiary of this event, along with ELCA World Hunger and the Maryland Food Bank. 

With just a $20 donation, walk or run the 1.3-mile trail around the lake yourself, or sponsor another walker.

The Board of Directors of CLAIM is also looking for organizations to set-up informational tables at the Walk-A-Thon site. Keep reading for details!

• Organizations may reserve a table for a $50 donation to the event
• Table set-up will take place at the small parking lot adjacent to the Montebello School; the layout will be similar to a tailgate - drive into the parking lot, pull nose-first into the parking space, and set-up the exhibit from the trunk of your vehicle. 
• Organizations may bring a small table, some folding chairs, and their educational materials
• Organizations are encouraged to gather a team of walkers and solicit sponsors to help raise money for the event.
• To reserve a table, please send checks (payable to "DE-MD Synod") to DE-MD Synod, C.L.A.I.M. Lutheran Heritage Day Hunger Walk-a-Thon, 700 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

For more information, please contact CLAIM Coordinator Jennifer Arnold (CLAIMBaltimore@gmail.com or 410-499-6949). 

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